Well, perhaps the ending wasn't very generic after all. In fact, I never really saw the big twist coming, as fitting a finale as it may have been. It definitely made for the ultimate in happy endings. Nicely done.

I guess you could say Ultra Maniac was far from perfect, but it did manage to entertain from start to finish. The characters were a ton of fun, as were all the individual stories. Even though the show faltered near the end, I'm going to miss having a new episode to watch each week.

Maya flips out, and then everything turns into a video game, complete with battle music. Of course, love triumphs over all adversity...

Yeah, the ending is shaping up to be kind of generic, but I can live with it.

Masquerade? Funny I should watch this on Halloween.

Anyway, the writing has gotten sloppy as of late, and it really shows in this episode. But I guess that's typical of an anime adaptation of an ongoing manga series.

Of course, the TV series has diverged so much from the manga by this point that I figured we'd get a decent, original ending. Oh well. Maybe it'll work out.

Poor Yuta...gettin' the shaft.

So what's the big, dark secret, Nina? To become Princess of Magicistan, do you have to kill your friends and offer their heads in ritual sacrifice?

They must be saving some of the budget for the final few episodes, 'cause this one looked horrible.

And as much trouble as Maya causes, I don't understand why Nina and Ayu just don't get together and beat the living hell out of her. Nina must be able to conjure up a magic baseball bat or something. If not, I'm sure Kaji has one.

Looks like Yuta finally returns next episode.

Ayu's an idiot. But at least everything worked out in the end - thanks to Nina.

And, just as I expected, the whole ordeal forced Nina to open up a little. However, it looks like it's going to be pretty complicated. That's great, though. Makes for more drama.

I was going to mention how Maya vanished, but from the next episode preview, it looks like she'll be back soon. But what about Yuta? Did he just get the boot? I would think he would end up playing a role in the whole Nina-Tsujiai matter.

Shoujo...soap operas...it's all the same.

Oh, and I think that's the first time Nina's gotten legitimately pissed. It's kind of cute.

Hooray for character development and plot twists!

I think I know how this is going to play out - let's just say I suspect the resolution is going to have more to do with Nina and Tsujiai than Ayu and Kaji.

The story is really moving along now. Next episode looks to be pretty serious.

Nina and Ayu use magic to make themselves older and go clubbing. Why Nina chooses to dress like a porn star, however, remains a mystery.

Yuta also makes an appearance, and we learn a little more about the purpose of the Holy Stones.

I'm never letting the dog sit in my lap again.

Ayu's cuter when she's depressed...

But she'll have to be to the point of contemplating suicide before she's cuter than Nina! Ha!

Yeah, that was mean. Sorry, Ayu.

Poor Maya.

Sort of a beach episode, but more importantly, a character development episode for Maya, Nina, and Tsujiai. There appears to be some interesting love triangles setting up, especially once Yuta is thrown back into the mix.

Luna's kind of cute, bipolar disorder and all. But not as cute as Maya! And definitely not as cute as Nina!

She's cuter than Ayu, though. Ayu sucks.

Nina looks weird with her hair like that.

Anyway, great episode, although the animation seemed a little funky (what's the deal this week?). Maya rocks!

Festival episode!

Given the amount of stuff that happened in this episode, it felt kind of rushed. I suspect it all flowed better in the manga. Big plot development at the end, though!

Sebastian seems like a nice guy.

Oh, and NERDS!!!

You know, I just realized...Nina is dumb as a brick.

Next episode, David Bowie makes an appearance.

Ultra Maniac began airing prior to the launch of the anime blog. Currently, I have no plans to blog the missing episodes.